First the visual inspection. Micro looks simple but is a complex multi-layered effort. The threaded bottom plate rotates to regulate height. It has to come off if we want to use spikes but the central thread also accepts the original base's thicker plate which welcomes spikes as is. Although I had no cause to go this route, I found it thoughtful that Jeff's parts interchange between models. Micro's second-lowest stainless steel deck is the foundation of the structure and features hardened polished steel races for three ceramic balls. It also hides a large round CNC-milled aluminium enclosure that packs the upper races and compartments to install the Visco or TwinDamp nubs. Small openings in these chambers help with whether the bullets inside them have their pointy ends up. Micro in its most affordable form incorporates two independent isolation stages plus one extra attenuation method if we count the optional spikes. That's generous already but there's more. The upper section can remain basic or receive an insert which determines Micro's designation. My loaners were the standard solid steel. This can replace with the €129/ea. Sapphire or €329/ea. Diamond inserts to add another ball-bearing layer. They're identical in their two-piece steel bodies and zirconia bearings but differ in their races. The Sapphire insert coats them in diamond-like carbon aka DLC blended with an alloy whose surface hardness sits in the vicinity of sapphire, hence the name. The Diamond version applies amorphous PVD diamond instead to get 3 x more slippery than DLC, 10 x as slippery as polished steel. It also gets TwinDamp pads above the top raceways which the Sapphire equivalent omits. These optional inserts also fit Carbid's largest Base so are freely interchangeable again.
Now let's detour towards Carbide's smallest mechanically simplest Nano. Inside its austenitic stainless steel body mounts one large zirconia ball on a sapphire race while the upper race continues into a nipple that becomes the point of contact for our component. Nano Diamond gets the PVD-coated ceramic race plus a TwinDamp nipple. What's more, the Nano insert [€50/150 for Sapphire/Diamond respectively] unthreads to become an optional upgrade for the big Base and Micro where it adds yet another isolation stage whilst limiting the weight rating to 55kg per footer. For more retail math, Micro standard so with just three Visco nubs costs €199/ea. The fully loaded Diamond plus Nano Diamond plus TwinDamp spikes and TwinDamp bullets wants €790/ea. The standard Micro with all optional accessories is €471 so roughly in the middle. Why Jeff didn't go full hog on my set is because the Nano Diamond insert upgrade is a more cost-effective alternative to the Micro Diamond version. Their combination has a slightly lower natural frequency thus better isolation of the lowest bass though this performance differential is small. Also, I could at any moment transplant the Diamond bits from my large Bases to today's samples. Then each Micro would feature three independent bearing-based isolation stages plus TwinDamp spikes, inner bullets and top nipples on vibration-damping duties.
Micro combines a quality build, small form factor, upgrade path, ease of use, excellent mechanics and premium feel. All the engineering poured into these small objects is really impressive. Ditto their compatibility with shared parts across this roster. The bottom threads even allow for upside-down use which was terrific news for one of my daily drivers. [Upside down is how I use my set of eight Nano bolted to the stands of my upstairs compact monitors which thus float above the suspended floor rather than couple to it – Ed.] Micro can firmly bolt to various hardware via adapters. It seems that Jeffrey really thought of everything. Just two Micro without Nano inserts will support an outboard linear power supply. Three become mandatory if we install the optional wobbly top isolators. Micro is available in black or silver and I got trios of either finish. Six total were enough to support a pair of speakers or two electronic components. My sound|kaos Vox 3afw monitors, Trilogy 915R preamp and LampizatOr Pacific DAC were the obvious targets.
Prior to that I used all Micro beneath the twin chassis of my Innuos Statement streamer. Why was simple. One, I hadn't tried any decouplers with this machine for quite a while. Two, I was curious whether those mounted under it were as good as I remembered. Just one swap sufficed to know that this was no contest. In my system the Statement on its own short legs sounded slower and darker, with thicker image outlines and clearly bloomier bass which bled out some happiness and liveliness. I hadn't noticed these traits before this contrast. Now Micro contributed extra acceleration, radiance, image specificity and a somewhat leaner MO particularly sensible on vocals. To my ears these sonic reworks were a clear upgrade even if on some tracks I appreciated the appeal of thicker voices more. This however didn't factor as much as the plainly obvious change with/out. I hadn't expect any meaningful shifts let alone any this profound yet there they were.